Dear Minister Panneflek, Do we REALLY need another public holiday for our businesses to stay closed or have to pay overtime if we chose to open anyhow? Why did the COM not just give THEIR employees the day off and leave the rest of the economy do its thing! We are this COVID year already losing our shirts and REALLY do not need Government to play Santa Clause at Private Sector’s (and your empty coffers’) expense!! Mike Ferrier
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG – In the Kingdom Council of Ministers (RMR) meeting held this morning in the Netherlands, Sint Maarten’s Minister Plenipotentiary Rene Violenus was present to deliver Sint Maarten’s position for receiving the third tranche of liquidity support. However, this was not before an agenda point pertaining to statements made in a central committee meeting of Sint Maarten’s Parliament held on Monday, December 14, were addressed and discussed. Following the RMR meeting, St. Maarten received word from Minister Plenipotentiary Violenus and later in a call with State Secretary Knops, that the Government of Sint Maarten would need to express in clear…
~ Government should meet urgently, float bond ~ GREAT BAY — Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Friday night said that he has no qualms with the COHO deal not seeing the light of day, but pointed out that the government of St. Maarten continues to allow itself and St. Maarten to be insulted and treated like children. St. Maarten, he said, should move now to go back to the table to find alternatives including floating another bond. Related article: Frontal collision: no deal about liquidity support MP Emmanuel said the Dutch “gave us a preview of how the…
By Hilbert Haar Now they’ve really done it. I never thought that the government would be so daft to put the livelihood of its citizens at risk by stubbornly refusing to accept the Dutch conditions for liquidity support and – let’s not forget that one – the refinancing of a 50 million-guilders loan. Minister Plenipotentiary René Violenus blamed the Dutch in Friday’s meeting of the Kingdom Council of Ministers for the situation St. Maarten finds itself in. Did Violenus act on his own? Of course not. He is the responsibility of Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs Silveria Jacobs.…
PHILIPSBURG / THE HAGUE – The government caused a frontal collision with the Kingdom Council of Ministers on Friday that makes it highly questionable that there will be a deal about continued liquidity support and about the refinancing of a 50 million guilders loan. At the time of this writing that deal is off the table. We learned from impeccable sources that Minister Plenipotentiary René Violenus read a letter in the Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting that basically blames the Netherlands for St. Maarten’s current predicament. The Minister Plenipotentiary falls under the responsibility of Prime Minister and Minister of General…
PHILIPSBURG – The position of victims of violent crimes in St. Maarten is weak compared to that of the criminals who harmed them. Attorney Geert Hatzmann, who has represented many of these victims over the course of his career on the island, intends to do something about it with the establishment of the Foundation of Victims of Violent Crimes. Hatzmann urges Minister of Justice Anna Richardson in a letter dated December 15 to explain her position on this issue. “Are you okay with it that victims of serious violent crimes are left to their own devices or do you agree…
~ Says people must understand what’s coming ~ GREAT BAY — The Prime Minister and her government must answer urgent questions and provide truthful clarity to the people of St. Maarten about the COHO entity that is about to take over their lives. So says Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel as he submitted a letter to the PM, via the Secretariat of Parliament, on Friday. Emmanuel said he will “not let up” and will “not stop asking questions” about the drastic change that is about to occur on St. Maarten in return for a third tranche of liquidity support.…
Dear Editor, In February of 2018, the Kingdom of the Netherlands submitted a Written Statement to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) where they declared in paragraph 2.5 that “the right to self-determination of peoples is a PERMANENT, continuing, universal and inalienable right with a peremptory character.” Additionally, the Netherlands agreed without prejudice in paragraph 3.4 with Resolution 1514 of the United Nations General Assembly by stating that “self-determination was a right and not a principle.” The Netherlands continued to expound that “the right of self-determination of the people of a colonial territory prevailed over any claim by the administering State” which, in the case of St. Maarten, would…
PHILIPSBURG – The Pro Soualiga Foundation is apparently not happy with the conclusion that the decolonization process for the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname was already completed in 1955. Therefore, the foundation sent an email with seven attachments to stmaartennews.com in an attempt to support its position that the United Nations in fact rejected the Kingdom Charter back in 1955. Related article: “Decolonization was completed in 1955” The documentation provide by the foundation refers to discussions in the general assembly of the united Nations about “heavy criticism” of articles 44, 50 and 51 of the Kingdom Charter. Article 44 stipulates that…
PHILIPSBURG – The Parliamentary Committee for Constitutional Affairs and Decolonization has lost most of its luster already before its first meeting, given the Dutch government’s reply to a lawsuit filed by the Pro Soualiga Foundation. In a detailed 88-page brief, attorney Charles Rutte demonstrates that there is no decolonization to be completed, because that process was already concluded 65 years ago on December 15, 1955. The Pro Soualiga Foundation demanded in its lawsuit that the court declares the Kingdom Charter a violation of article 73 of the United Nations Charter and of the right to self-determination. Rutte notes that all…
